“It was rough.” Just like everyone else in the arena, Nick Nurse got extremely worried when Sixers rookie Jared McCain hit the deck hard during last night’s game. During a rebound attempt off his own miss, McCain lost his balance mid-air and fell hard on his back. Writhing in pain, he lay on the floor for several minutes, clutching his chest and struggling to breathe. Unable to continue playing, he was immediately taken to the hospital for further evaluation. While fans were concerned about his condition, his teammate Kelly Oubre Jr. offered a huge sigh of relief with a positive update on McCain’s health.

Revealing the rookie’s current status following the Nets game, Oubre said, “He’s fine.” But he did acknowledge that the situation could have been a lot worse, “It was very scary. He caught himself luckily. He didn’t fall flat on his back. He’s going to feel it tomorrow. That’s kind of what we were telling him. He just has to kind of take it easy. Make sure he’s 100 percent for opening night.”

Well, McCain was very fortunate that the fall did not lead to a serious injury because he also hit the back of his head on the hardwood when he landed. And he was evaluated for concussion among other things in the hospital. Even Nick Nurse was taken aback when the incident occurred right in front of his eyes, “He’s going to the hospital to get checked out. Obviously, he was having trouble breathing there, maybe got the wind knocked out of him, not sure what was going on there, but never quite seen one like that before. So, let’s hope he’s OK and see what the report is from the hospital.” Fortunately, Oubre’s update hints that McCain might recover fast and could even return to action soon.

Jared McCain has been impressive so far amid his aim to ‘learn as much as possible’

Until the nasty fall took him out of the game, Jared was having an incredible night, scoring 9 points and grabbing seven rebounds. And the rookie has been impressive throughout the preseason as he has scored a combined 55 points in his previous four appearances. While his highest scoring game was against Boston with twenty points, he had his best performance so far in his debut against the New Zealand Breakers. In that game, McCain went off for 15 points and shot four of nine from deep range.

Moreover, the role of a sharpshooter is exactly what the rookie sees himself playing this season, “I think one of the main things just being able to catch and shoot. Definitely it’s going to be my role. We got such talented players and when they get doubled, I just got to be ready to knock down those shots.” Even last night, all nine of his points came from deep range shots. Meanwhile, his individual goal this year is to pick things up from his veteran leaders, “I’m trying to learn as much as possible.” With experienced superstars like Paul George and Joel Embiid by his side, McCain has the opportunity to learn a lot about playing at the highest level. Hopefully, he will return soon and continue his pursuit of having a successful rookie season.